Katie Quick began teaching in 2004 and spent the majority of her career in the Chicago Public Schools. Her name came into the spotlight in 2008 when she was featured on the cover of the Chicago Sun-Times after her principal put her on probation for using music in the classroom. "Ms. Quick" was the embodiment of social-emotional learning before it was ever taught or introduced to the district. She intuitively used music with her inner city 6th graders as a way to motivate and inspire them, as well as to build trust and rapport…and it worked. Despite the increase in attendance, test scores and morale, her principal told her, “Your music will never pay the bills” and that she needed to stick to a more “traditional” way of teaching. (If you know Katie Quick, you know she is anything but traditional.) Instead of letting this situation dim her light, Katie decided that she could use this as an opportunity to not only tell her students to follow their dreams, but to show them that anything was possible. She wrote a song for her students titled Fingertips, which later appeared on her debut album, and became the inspiration and roadmap for her life’s work.  

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Katie moved to Nashville soon after to pursue her childhood dream of music and spent the early part of her career achieving unprecedented success as a self-made independent artist. She is the writer and producer of four, award-winning studio albums and has appeared on numerous television and radio stations across the globe, including ABC’s Katie Couric Show with the legendary Clive Davis where she proudly shared her love for the Fingertips Program and her students. She made her Broadway debut in Rock of Ages and is winner of such prestigious awards as The John Lennon Songwriting Competition for her song "The Exit'' which gives hope to LGBTQ+ youth and Album of the Year nomination in the Independent Music Awards for her self-produced sophomore album, Valley Between Love. 

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With all of the success she achieved in a short time, Katie knew she had something special that needed to be shared with the world. So in 2011, she created the Fingertips Program as a touring school assembly, pursuing her dream of music while simultaneously teaching kids and teens to do the same. Since that time, Katie continued her work in both music and education, and went back to school to earn her Masters in Counseling from Northwestern University with the goal of returning to the schools to share her knowledge and expertise in a revolutionary way. In Katie's first year back in the Chicago Public Schools, she implemented her own restorative curriculum to every student in K-8 while training and coaching teachers on restorative practices, which led to an astounding 65% decrease in behavior misconducts in just one year. Her incredible track record has continued through the years, with a 17% increase in SEL professional learning where she was the head of SEL at a Colorado elementary school during the pandemic, as well as increases in the following areas: teacher and student relationships, student growth mindset, teacher self-reflection, positive school climate for teachers and students, psychological safety and sense of belonging for students, and a faculty growth mindset. The bottom line is this: wherever Katie Quick goes, there is an increase across the board in culture, climate, and community which has made her a highly sought after expert in the filed of social-emotional learning. 

 

Today, Katie is still living her dream as a singer/songwriter and private practice therapist living in Denver, Colorado while inspiring others to heal, grow and pursue their dreams through her work in Fingertips. Katie is excited to expanded the Fingertips Program yet again with the debut of an online learning community and podcast due in Spring 2024.  Sign up for our mailing list for updates. 

 

You can listen to Katie’s music on Spotify or Apple Music, or visit her website here.